programs_for

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For information about how your school can participate, call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium Journey to a Hate Free Millennium is a powerful two-hour program that features the 35 minute film, Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium. The film is an inspirational, award-winning documentary that seeks solutions to the horrible hate crimes that have become frequent events in our daily lives. This stirring film features shocking examples of hate crimes in modern America: The vicious murder of Matthew Sheppard, the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr., and the unfathomable shootings by high school students at Columbine High School. Dialogue centers on creating a vision of the new millennium where senseless acts of violence and hate are a thing of the past. This program is appropriate for middle and high school students as well as adults. If you would like to learn more about the program or how to arrange to bring Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium to your school or organization, please call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. Racial Justice Youth Program Facilitator Training The YWCA Racial Justice Youth Program is supported by more than 80 youth who have been trained as volunteer facilitators. Volunteer facilitators are prepared for this work by a day long facilitator training program created by the YWCA especially for youth. If you would like more information call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. Nuesta Voz/Our Voice The YWCA Racial Justice Program received a $200,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in May 2010 to support our Latino Youth Initiative: Nuestra Voz/Our Voice. Nuestra Voz will build on ten years of effective racial healing work to develop and implement a new initiative for the emerging, too often silenced, Latino youth population in an on-going effort to combat prejudice, intolerance and to work towards racial healing and youth empowerment. Nuestra Voz will: Develop Latino youth leadership Heal historical racial trauma through dialogue Promote positive cultural identity through youth initiated community racial health projects. Provide training for teachers/administrators/parents to promote a positive healing experience.

Nuestra Voz is one of 119 grants awarded by W.K. Kellogg Foundation to support racial equity and healing and the only grant awarded in Arizona. The YWCA expects to involve nearly 5,000 people in our community through Nuestra Voz including decision-makers who are in a position to change public policy. Click here for more information. Nuestra Voz began with Youth, Art, and Activism in July. It’s Time to Talk Annual Youth Forum on Race The It’s Time to Talk Annual Youth Forum on Race takes place in October and this very exciting and interactive day-long forum is attended by up to 250 students and teachers. All schools in Pima County---including private, charter, and alternative schools---are invited to participate by sending a team of students and an advisor to spend a day learning and sharing with students from other schools through small group dialogues facilitated by youth. The student teams create their action plans against racism to take back to their schools. Special activities are planned for teachers and advisors. The projects created at the Youth Forum are eligible for support through a small grants program offering grants from $100 to $1000. The Youth Forum on Race will be incorporated into Nuestra Voz in the fall of 2010.

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Bright Futures is a leadership development, recognition and scholarship program for young women. The countywide Bright Futures program is designed for high school seniors-every school in Pima County may nominate up to five students. Each young woman participating in the program will have demonstrated leadership by overcoming an obstacle/challenge in her life and have a GPA of 1.7-3.2. The young women in Bright Futures attend workshops on topics including, Being a Leader, Life After High School, How to Make a Good First Impression, Body Image and Self Esteem, spend a day on a college campus, practice their new leadership skills though a volunteer experience with the YWCA and explore career and educational opportunities with an adult mentor. Three of the young women in Bright Futures will be selected in a random drawing for a $1,000 scholarship to further her education. If you are a high school principal or school counselor and would like to nominate a 12th grade young woman for Bright Futures click here and If you would like to apply to serve as a Bright Futures Mentor click here. For additional information call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. In addition to the county wide Bright Futures program for high school seniors, the YWCA of Tucson has adapted the program as an eight-week after school program. If you would like to bring this program to your school call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. Bright Futures Scholarship Program The YWCA, in collaboration with the Pima Community College Foundation, has established the Bright Futures Scholarship Program through which ten scholarships will be awarded annually to female students who have demonstrated determination in overcoming an obstacle and who plan to enroll at Pima Community College. . TECHgyrls® is a national initiative and signature program of the YWCA developed in 1997 in response to the widening gender gap in exposure to and interest in technology. The program is designed to encourage girls to pursue careers in technology and engineering. TECHgyrls® provides girls with access to technology and leadership development. The goals of the YWCA TECHgyrls® program is to broaden girls’ knowledge and interests and help them develop the confidence to use technology tools in their daily lives. The fourteen-week program raises girls’ awareness, confidence, and competence in the crucial areas of technology while helping them develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Through computer animation programming, engineering projects, and field trips, girls learn to use technology in ways that are motivating and compelling to them. The YWCA offers TECHgyrls at La Cima Middle School and at Los Amigos Elementary School, Menlo Park Elementary School, Pima County Juvenile Court Detention Center School and at the YWCA Frances McClelland Leadership Center. For more information, call the YWCA at 884-7810 or email us. Girls With Tools was created in 2002 when adult volunteers noticed during a mixed gender carpentry workshop that girls tended to relinquish their tools to boys who were eager to “show them how” or “do it for them.” Girls With Tools provides opportunities for girls age 8 - 15 to build a variety of woodworking projects using basic hand and power tools in an all female environment. Girls With Tools encourages safety, teamwork, cooperation, creative thinking and time management. Girls are provided with information on future career and educational opportunities. Girls With Tools is a weekly, year-round after school program. The program meets at the Zuni Avenue Peace Center. For more information call the YWCA at (520) 884-7810 or email us. Cinderella’s Closet is a prom dress exchange program offered for the first time in the spring of 2010 and is a program component of Your Sister’s Closet. For more information go to www.cinderellasclosettucson.com Let’s Get Real Anti-Bullying Program Let’s Get Real is a strong and effective 2 hour program that features the screening of the 35 minute documentary, Let’s Get Real. The film features only youth voices speaking about their personal experiences with name-calling and bullying. Students speak candidly about being a bully, being a victim of bullying and acting as an ally. This program makes the link between bullying and prejudice and encourages honest dialogue as well as developing empathy as essential steps towards a solution. This comprehensive anti-bullying program is designed for middle schools and includes assessment and training for teachers and school personnel as well as for students. Racial Justice Youth Program The YWCA Racial Justice Youth Program provides opportunities for youth to understand the life experience of others, open the door to sustained connection with youth who are different from themselves, replace stereotypes with real people, encourage and be a catalyst for further dialogue and meaningful activities for thousands of students each year. The Racial Justice Youth Program empowers students with skills to lead and influence others to eliminate racism and prejudice. All aspects of the YWCA Racial Justice Youth Program are planned and implemented by young men and women who serve as members of the Racial Justice Youth Program Committee. If you would like information about how you or your school can participate, call the YWCA at 520-884-7810 or email us. It’s Time to Talk Annual Youth Forum on Race The It’s Time to Talk Annual Youth Forum on Race takes place in October and this very exciting and interactive day-long forum is attended by up to 250 students and teachers. All schools in Pima County---including private, charter, and alternative schools---are invited to participate by sending a team of students and an advisor to spend a day learning and sharing with students from other schools through small group dialogues facilitated by youth. The student teams create their action plans against racism to take back to their schools. Special activities are planned for teachers and advisors. The projects created at the Youth Forum are eligible for support through a small grants program offering grants from $100 to $1000.